IV. GENERAL REMARKS.
XXV
The Sergents de Ville, or Gardiens de la Paix, who are to be
met with in every street and public resort, are always ready to
give information when civilly questioned. Visitors should avoid the
less frequented districts after night-fall, and, as a general rule, it is
not advisable to linger even in other quarters later than 1 a.m. They
should also be on their guard against the huge army of pickpockets
and other rogues, who are quick to recognize the stranger and skilful
in taking advantage of his ignorance. It is perhaps unnecessary
specially to mention the card-sharpers sometimes met with in the
suburban and other trains, or the various other dangers to purse and
health which the French metropolis shares with other large towns.
The Parisian directory, published annually, and familiarly known
as the 'Bottin', which may be consulted at the principal hotels and
cafes and also (for a fee of 10-15 c.) at various book-shops, will often
be found useful by those who make a prolonged stay at Paris. It con¬
sists of two huge volumes, one of which contains a list of the streets
and their inhabitants, while the other gives the addresses of the
most important persons in the provinces, and even of a number of
persons in foreign countries.
All strangers intending to settle in Paris must make a Declaration of
their intention, with proof of their identity, within fifteen days, at the
Prefecture de Police, a6 Quai des Orfevres (Palais de Justice), between
10 and 4. Foreigners who intend to practise any trade, business, or pro¬
fession in Paris or other part of France must also make a declaration to
that effect within a week.
Paris, 'la Ville-Lumiere', is not only the political metropolis of
France, but also the centre of the artistic, scientific, commercial,
and industrial life of the nation. Almost every branch of French
industry is represented here, from the fine-art handicrafts to the
construction of powerful machinery; but Paris is specially known
for its 'articles de luxe' of all kinds.
Paris has long enjoyed the reputation of being the most cosmo¬
politan city in Europe, where the artist, the scholar, the merchant,
and the votary of pleasure alike find the most abundant scope for
their pursuits. Nor does this boast apply to modern times only; as
early as the 12th cent, the 'Twelve Masters of Paris' played in
mediaeval poetry a r61e analogous to that of the Seven Sages in ancient
Greece. For its early cosmopolitan character the city was chiefly
indebted to its University, to which students of all nationalities
flocked in order to be initiated into the mysteries of the scholasticism
which was taught here by its most accomplished professors. At the
same time industrial and commercial pursuits made rapid strides,
in consequence of which the population increased rapidly, and an
extension of the municipal boundaries was repeatedly rendered ne¬
cessary. The early economic development of Paris is farther attested
by the great 'Foire du Lendit', which was held each June in the
plain between Paris and St. Denis, and by the famous 'Livre des
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